What can we learn from real fires? In long single tube tunnels

Dr. Gunnar D. Jenssen Senior Research Scientist PhD Engin,. MSc. Psych. Project Manager

Fire Protection and Safety in tunnels Sept 2015

Technology and Society 1 Statistics  has 1053 tunnels (Sept 2012)  More than 800 km with road tunnels  20-30km new tunnels built every year

 High traffic city tunnels  21 Sub Sea tunnels  10 Tunnels with high gradient (>5%)

Technology and Society 2 Some examples of tunnel projects SINTEF (past & ongoing)  Long tunnels  Norway, The worlds longest tunnel 24km single tube– Lærdal (NPRA)  China, The worlds longest twin tube tunnel 18.2km - Zhongnansan (QZM Ltd / Shaanxi Com. Bureau )  USA Road/Rail tunnel, (Rocky Mountains , feasibility study)  South Korea, State of the art: Safety in Long Tunnels (Transport Ministry)  Chile, Chuquicamata access tunnel (Codelco / Skava))  China, Crossing of Wulong river. Fuzhou city, Twin tube tunnel, 7.5 km (China First Railway & Design)  Norway, Gudvanga 11 km single tube , Post fire investigation (National Acc. Inv. Bureau)  Subsea Tunnels  Norway, 27 km subsea tunnel design & risk analysis (NPRA, COWI, Norconsult )  Norway, , 7.3km, single tube tunnel. Post fire investigation (NPRA, Safetec)  South Korean sub sea tunnel (confidential)  Denmark/Germany, Fehmarn belt 17 km submerged twin tube, Road/Rail (Fehmern AS)  City tunnels  Sweden, Stockholm ring (Sub to Traficon)  Norway Oslo submerged 6km twin tube tunnel- Bjørvika (NPRA)  Norway Trondheim, LED lights in tunnels (NPRA )  Evacuation strategies & Safety measures  Norway, Evacuation strategies in tunnels (NPRA)  Norway, Tunnel Stop-Lights for traffic management (NPRA)  Europe, UPTUN - Upgrading Tunnel Safety in Existing Tunnels (European Commission)  Europe, Move D3 Comparative studies of tunnel risk analysis (European Commission, D’Appolonia)  USA, Emergency Exit Signs and Marking Systems for Highway Tunnels (Sub to TexasTransp.)  Singapore – Underground development "Earthscrapers"

Technology and Society

Work on 4 of 10 longer than 10 km Worldvide

k

Kilde: Susanne K. Lund, Stockholm 2010

Technology and Society 4 Large tunnel fires

Accident, year Vehicle type Number of fatalities

Channel tunnel, 1996 Train with 10 HGV (only a few in hospital)

Kaprun, 2000 Funicular railway 155

23 HGV, 11 cars , 2 fire Mont Blanc, 1999 39 fighting vehicles

Tauern, 1999 16 HGV, 24 cars 12

St Gotthard, 2001 13 HGV, 10 cars 11

4 HGV, 3 fire fighting Frejus tunnel, 2005 2 vehicles

Oslofjord, 2011 1 HGV 28 in hospital

Gudvanga, 2013 1 HGV 67 in hospital

Technology and Society Lessons learnt from recent road tunnel fires in Norway  Oslofjord 2011 (33 trapped in smoke)  Gudvanga 2013 (88 trapped in smoke)  Gudvanga 2015 (34 trapped in smoke)  Skatestraum 2015 (13 trapped in smoke)

Technology and Society 6 Oslofjord June 23rd 7.3km long –Single tube-Longitudinal ventilation

Fire and smoke drama • Truck fire • 33 people trapped in the smoke • 28 persons sent to hospital • 5 treated for serious smoke injury

•Six drove inn after the barrier was activated

Technology and Society Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Oslofjord Fire How did people survive?

 Escaped behind the tunnel lining  Found in an emergency phone booth  Walked out  Injured by car trying to drive out

 The rest…………..?  Drove out or stayed in car until rescued

Technology and Society Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Oslofjord How did people survive

 Rescue by Fire Brigade  ATV  IR camera  Oxygen masks

Technology and Society August 5th 2013 Fire in Gudvanga tunnel

For two hours 67 people fought for their lives

Technology and Society 10 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Gudvanga Tunnel

Technology and Society 11 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Gudvanga tunnel 11.4km long

8.6 km 2.8 km

8600m

Location of fire

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Interviews of road users fire fighters and rescue personnel

SINTEF has in support of the Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) interviewed representatives of all 67 road users trapped in the smoke in the Gudvanga road tunnel fire

13 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Rescue team interviews

 Ambulance,  Heli doctor  Fire brigade

Technology and Society 14 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels In-Depth study

1. Research - Facts 2. Site visit - Inspect 3. Rescue team interwievs 4. Road user interviews 5. Copy of interviews verified 6. Analyze- Report

Technology and Society 15 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Road user interviews

 67 trapped survivors  Letter  Phone

Technology and Society 16 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Gudvanga fire,- Aug 5th 2013

Fire in engine Ventilation forward 2.8km to portal 67 people to hospital This trailer and with smoke injury 7 cars drove byr 31 cars turned around in the smoke free tunnelr

Technology and Society 17 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Gudvanga tunnel fire (Aug. 5th, 2013) 11.4 km , single-bore (3% incline)

 Foreign HGV, caught fire 2.8 km from entrance  Tunnel Lighting failed  Tunnel Ventilation ”failed”  At least 88 people downstream  67 of the trapped, treated for smoke inhalation,  Several would have died without hospital treatment

Technology and Society 18 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Single Truck - No Cargo!

Fire was put out after one hour

Technology and Society 19 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Strategies - Self Rescue

Self rescue principle:  This means that road users themselves must evacuate until the fire fighters come  All emergency plans are currently based on the fire fighters will move in correctly with the ventilation direction

Technology and Society 20 "Self evacuation" Can we trust egress modelling?

10 models analyzed

Technology and Society 21 Qindao

Technology and Society Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels

How do people actually behave when trapped in smoke?

Based on experience from Gudvanga Single-Bore Road Tunnel Fire

23 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Stage model for Evacuation UPTUN WP3 Human response

ThreeFigure stages 1: Three in stages peoples in peoples emergency emergency behaviour behaviour basedbased on on observable observable behaviour behaviour

Technology and Society 24 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Is the UPTUN stage model for evacuation valid?

- UpTUN

Technology and Society 25 In thick smoke people..

•Fumble along at 0,2 m/sec •Do not see signs high up... •Or hardly see anything at all

•Think about it next time someone makes calculations about distance between emergency exits

Technology and Society 26 This is supported by…..

Technology and Society 27 MOVEMENT SPEED AND EXIT CHOICE IN SMOKE-FILLED RAIL TUNNELS FRIDOLF, K., RONCHI, E., NILSSON, D., FRANTZICH, H. (2012)

A participant walking A participant walking with an upright posture, with a crouched posture with hands in a normal position alongside the body

A participant walking with the participant walking with hands in front of the body. both hands on the tunnel wall

Technology and Society 28 Supported by Nobel Prize winning work in Neurocience (2015)

 May-Brit and Edvard Moser discovered the collective function of grid cells for spatial navigation  Each group of cells reacting in a unique spatial pattern  Lack of visual cues, stress, hypoxia all affect grid cells

Technology and Society 29 Supported by Fire Fighters

Problem Precaution  Disorientation a known  Always together problem in smoke  Keep to left wall  Stress a known problem  Communication  Heat and fatigue

Technology and Society 30 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels

Supported by lessons learnt in the Gudvanga and Oslofjord tunnel fires

Technology and Society 31 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Disorientation in smoke and stress

Gudvanga Oslofjord  We had decided to go in  The tunnel is steep, has a one direction, but after gradient of more than

walking aroundDealing my with car Fires I in Long Single7 %, -but Bore we did not know was totally Tunnelslost. if we were going up hill or  We realized as we drew down nearer to the fire that we had walked in the wrong direction

Technology and Society 32 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels

Traumatic event - told by eyewitness survivor: A father stumbled in the ditch along the tunnel wall leading his family hand by hand

Father: I fear death, my chest hurts!  Daddy daddy my daughter cries from the back seat. Panic in her voice.  My thoughts rush. Should I detach the trailer, turn around, drive out.  The car in front backs up into them.  No visibility now. I decide to escape on foot. I grab a water bottle and a blanket and I explain to my daughter that "Kalle" her rabbit has to be left in the car  We hear explosions, banging crackling  I decide to walk in the wind/smoke direction  I hold the carpet in front of my mouth  On each side of the tunnel there is a gravel ditch down towards the rough tunnel wall. We hit the wall several times . I decide to get back up on the road again and zig sagged along

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Technology and Society 34 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels

Technology and Society 35 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Traumatic event - told by eyewitness survivors

 Foreign couple with three children

Why?

 Left one child, in a car with a Norwegian couple

Technology and Society 36 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Traumatic event - told by eyewitness survivors:

 It all happened so quickly. All of a sudden the tunnel was filled with smoke. I felt I could not breathe. The smoke was so thick. Our faces were instantly black.  "I was sure I would die. We lost orientation quickly. We did not know if the fire was ahead or behind us  It was impossible to turn around and drive out. We left the car and walked, stumbled until we were picked up by another car  Nobody died so for the authorities it is possibly a closed case.  For us it was a life threatening drama to be suddenly trapped in toxic smoke in pitch darkness.  It is important to avoid this happening again.  The Mont Blanc fire instantly came to mind Adding to the anxiety and claustrophobia  Astma recurred and we have coughed up black lumps for months

Technology and Society 37 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Last to drive out, - past the fire I was severely shaking - had to stop outside  We had been driving 80- 60km/h for a long time in the tunnel, and it was a heavy traffic.  Suddenly traffic stopped I did not know what was happening but the HGV had emergency lights on  After a while an English speaking driver took contact and asked if I had a fire Monika Blikås was afraid the HGV should explode extinguisher.  I thought I could not stay there if it as a fire, so I drove as fast as I could past the HGV

Technology and Society Two years later … a new fire in the same tunnel

Technology and Society 39 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Gudvanga Bus Fire 11.08.2015

Bus

32 passengers left the bus and walked 100m twoards Gudvangen

Technology and Society 40 Gudvanga fire 11.08.2015 Two hours after fire started

Technology and Society 41 Gudvanga fire 11.08.2015

Five people trapped in smoke for more than 90 min Reason: Wrong ventilation strategy,- as in 2015

Technology and Society 42 Gudvanga fire 11.08.2015 32 Chinese rescued in van

Technology and Society 43 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Skatestraum sub-sea tunnel (1.9km) Same year (15 july 2015) Explosive fire in a gasoline truck (131 MW)

Tank lorry lost trailer Lekage and fire 16500 litre petrol

Technology and Society 44 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels 13 people drove out 6 in hospital with serious smoke injury

Tanker truck drove past 3 cars backed up on either side

Technology and Society 45 High temperature 300m from the fire Aluminum fan blades melted before they stopped after 12 min operation (melting point 660 degrees)

131 MW fire

Technology and Society 46 What can we learn?

Technology and Society 47 People do not behave as in evacuation models……

Nor as we engineers would like them to….. …..

Technology and Society 48 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Misconceptions ? According to the studies the UPTUN stage model is based on , - people hesitate and stay to long in their vehicle.

The facts from recent single-bore tunnel fires in Gudvanga and Oslofjord tunnel shows - people consider various options at different stages of the fires, depending on -position in relation to the fire, knowledge about the tunnel , group psychology, survival psychology, psychology and personal factors

Yes! Some stay in their vehicle(hesitate), but many other options are considered and actual behaviours shown

The fact is, however, that people involved in a long single –bore tunnel fire have very few means to help them evacuate or survive in heavy smoke

Technology and Society Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels What can we learn? The facts from recent single-bore tunnel fires in Gudvanga and Oslofjord tunnel shows  people consider various options at different stages of the fires, depending on  -position in relation to the fire, knowledge about the tunnel , group psychology, survival psychology, psychology and personal factors

Technology and Society 50 Driver’s position in relation to the core of the incident Source: NordFOU and the development of the scenario. Percived risk, actions considered and actual behavior in tunnel fires

Incident Context Perceived Behavior: Phase Risk Actions considered and performed 1. Trip commence Normal driving No danger 1. Drive trough No perceived danger 2. Drive around Avoid tunnels 2. Tunnel Fire starts Enter Tunnel Possible danger 1. Drive past Queue builds up smells burnt perceive danger and act early 2. Turn and drive out Some smoke See no certain danger 3. Warn others Vehicles with blinking lights 4. Take picture 5. Stop - try to extinguish 3. Traffic stops Stop in lane 3. Uncertainty 1. Exit Vehicle What is happening? Voices , Doors bang, Crackling sounds Uneasy, hesitant What should I do now? 2. Re-Enter vehicle Try to turn, - give up Drive past with high risk 4. Stay in vehicle

4. Trapped in smoke Tunnel suddenly In danger 1. Stay in vehicle Fear of death Contact family, say goodbye filled with smoke Call emergency number Shouting, explosions 2. Drive out Chaos, collisions, panic Cautiously , slowly in smoke Pick up others 3. Escape on foot Search for escape door Search for safe room Re-enter other vehicle Enter phone booth etc. Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Self rescue conditions  Few emergency lay-bys, turning possibilities and dense smoke hindered evacuation by car  One exit! The only evacuation possibility for road users on the Gudvangen side was blocked by smoke  Should I stay or should I go? Injuries were less among those who stayed in their car, this may not have been advisable in another fire scenario  Expectations not met! Foreign drivers and bus passengers (# 50) expected rescue rooms or escape doors to a parallel tunnel. However there were no safe heavens, rescue rooms or escape routes except through dense smoke  Low smoke toxicity. In this case and with current smoke toxicity people barely survived. Young age and good health contributed to this

Technology and Society 53 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels

Self rescue conditions  Partly dark tunnel before fire due to grounding failure 1000m of the tunnel was without tunnel lighting (7km from Aurland)

 No emergency evacuation system. Emergency lighting has no effect on evacuation guidance in thick smoke. There are 450 lamps (35 W) with 25m spacing

 No lighting. 12:09 the lighting above the fire incident melted, short circuiting electricity.

 TechnologyNo communication and Society . Radio 54

Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Conclusions from post fire investigation (AIBN) 1. No monitoring (CCTV etc). 2. No information 3. Predetermined strategy failed. 4. Tunnel Design and safety equipment was poorly organized for self-rescue.

Technology and Society 55 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels What could have improved self-rescue

 Precise information about position of fire, number and position of cars, busses lorries and people enabling good advice to those trapped and sound strategies for aided rescue  A different predetermined strategy for fire fighting ventilation and rescue efforts focused on self rescue and aided rescue as first priority rather than optimal conditions for fire fighters to attack the fire  Evacuation rooms,- like those installed post-fire in the oslofjord tunnel  Tangible, visual and acoustic guidance e.g. Continous handrails, Continuous lighting in handrail, Loudspeakers  Safe walking conditions along tunnel wall

Technology and Society 56 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels

Ventilation direction

(twoards west)

95 MINUTESMinutes on ON foot FOOT Fire ongoing Very 55 minutes serious injury

65 Minutes on foot 50 min in car 30 min in car 30 min on foot Serious Serious injury injury

67 Minutes in car Evacuated Serious injury

Technology and Society 57 The car as a rescue room?

Technology and Society 58 The car as a rescue room?

Human Factors  We consume 0,6 m3 air per hour  alone with air recirculation?  small vehicle, many people?

Vehicle  Automatic air recirculation / Pollution sensor , HEPA Filter?  Smoke may enter. How airtight is the car?

Fire scenario  Distance to fire?  In Gudvanga 2013 bus passengers stayed long in bus,- until to hot  A trap as in Mont blanc ,- 39 died  Large fires may spread by glowing varnish (Mont Blanc)  Large fires like Skatestraum ?  Only time to drive out / reach a escape door close by!

Technology and Society 59

Ventilation does not function as expected or as we wish…..

Technology and Society 60 Ventilation myths

Technology and Society 61 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Rescue rooms Why not?  Rescue rooms are, used in road tunnels under the construction phase  Rescue rooms are used in mines  Rescue shuttles are used on offshore platforms  Rescue shuttles are increasingly used for sky scrapers

Why?  The four people who died in a badly designed rescue room in the Mont Blanc fire has had undue focus!  When many were saved in rescue rooms further away from the fire  When there are few other good measures for self-rescue in long single-bore road tunnels with relatively low traffic density

Technology and Society 62 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Increasing HGV traffic

Traffic development and share of HGV Gudvanga Tunnel 2003-2013

Technology and Society 63 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Gudvanga tunnel- one of 40 longer single-bore tunnels in Norway

Technology and Society 64 Aviation Safety 90 Seconds Escape Clause - Airbus with 300 passengers

•Sensors

•Alarms

•Info from Captain

•Oxygen masks

•Trained pesonell

•Safety info on-board

•Emergency lighting

•Clearly marked exits

Technology and Society 65 Wayfinding in aviation 90 Seconds Escape Clause - Airbus with 300 passengers

Technology and Society 66 Dealing with Fires in Long Single - Bore Tunnels Safety Measures Oslofjord Subsea tunnel Post incident - Risk analysis SAFETECH & SINTEF Short term  26 Rescue rooms  Improved fire extinguishing and rescue equipment for the Fire Brigade  LED Egress guidance Longer term  New parallel tunnel or bridge  FFFS discussed

Technology and Society What can we do short term – long term to improve safety in long single bore road tunnels ? Need knowledge about 1. Measures for self rescue? 2. The effect of ventilation on self rescue ? 3. Effect of ventilation on different fire loads? 4. Measures which have effect on large fires? 5. How can we reduce road user exposure to fire/smoke? 6. How can we give road users a Handrails with contiouous emergency lighting increasingly used in rail tunnels ! minimum of guidance and education which can help them Emergency light every 60 m in road tunnels has no use in thick smoke in a tunnel fire?

Technology and Society 68 Epilogue

Three years after next to nothing has been done to improve self-rescue in the Gudvanga tunnel or the other 40 long single bore tunnels in Norway

By chance only a single HGV without cargo was on fire this time

With cargo and more toxic smoke 67 lives could easily have been taken

Technology and Society 69 Tunnel Safety should not be based on pure "luck"

Technology and Society 70 Global Safety approach Kilde: Kohury et al 2008

Technology and Society 71 What would you do ?

Thank You! [email protected]

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